Improvement in balance-wheels for sewing-machines



NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DAVID Gr. WILLIAMS, OF YORK, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN BALANCE-WHEELS FOR SEWING-MACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 140,982, dated July 15,1873; application filed J nne 7, 1873.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DAVID G. WILLIAMS, of York, in the county of Yorkand State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and-valuable Improvementin Sewing-Machines; and

I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription of the construction and operation of the same, referencebein g had to the annexed drawin gs'makin g apart of this specificationand tothe letters and figures of reference marked thereon.

Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings are representations of top views of myinvention. Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the same. Figs. 4 and and 5 aredetail views.

My invention relates to forward motions on sewing-machines; and itconsists of a loose fly-wheel on a sewin g-machine shaft with suchratchet connection that the said fly-wheel may be coupled to the shaftonly for forward mo tion, but will at all times turn loosely when themotion is reversed; also a stopping-lever, which throws the ratchet outof connection so that the fly-Wheel may be revolved either way withouteffecting theshaft. The object of my invention is to avoid a backwardmovement of the sewingmachine shaft and all the connected parts, and toprovide an independent forward movement of the fly-wheel for the purposeof winding the bobbins of the sewingmachine.

In the drawings, A represents the shaft of a sewing-machine, which is aplain straight rod, and which has a journal-bearing, a, in thesewing-machine: The end of the said shaft projects beyond the saidjournal-bearing, and is there provided with a sleeve, B, which isfastened to it by a set-screw, b. A fiy-wheel,

G, is fitted to the said sleeve so as to turn freely on it. Thefly-wheel may be of any ordinary construction to suit the purpose ofapplying my improvement. The one represented in the drawing has adriving-pulley, D, connected with it. The fly-Wheel O is provided with arecess or chamber, E, to the bottom of which a pawl, F, is fastened by apivot, e, and which is closed by a lid, G, with the aid of set-screws g.The hub c of the fiy-wheel O is longitudinally secured between thebearing a and the ratchet-wheel H, which is fastened to the end face ofthe shaft A by a set-screw, h. The facial bearing of the sleeve Bagainst the sewing-machine bearing a and the facial bearing of thecrank-plate at the other end of the shaft A insure steadiness of thesaid shaft A in a longitudinal direction. The shaft A cannot beconstructed otherwise than straight to suit the construction of thesewing-machine; hence the sleeve B is preferable to a step or collar.The pawl F is provided with a onesided tooth, f, which looks theratchet-wheel H with the pawl with the forward motion, and slides overthe ratchet-wheel with the back motion, and is caused to bear againstthe ratchet-wheel by a spring, f, fastened to the back of it.

If a loose right-and-left motion of the flywheel is desired the pawl Fis moved out of gear with the ratchet wheel H by turning a key, I, inits fixed bearings e on the fly-wheel, and the lid Gr so that its wing tenters the notch i in the pawl F, and lifts the same until after passingthe dead-lever it comes in contact with the nose t which serves to lockit. This latter arrangement is intended for the winding of bobbins, andserves to avoid the wearing and noise of the ratchets while the sewingmachinery is standing still.

Fig. 2 shows a bobbin -winder, J operated by the fly-wheel, the ratchetconnection being suspended by the key I.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-- I Thecombination, with the shaft of a sewing-machine and a loose fiy-wheelthereon, of a ratchet-connection, operating in one direction only, and.a key-tumbler for disengaging said ratchet connection when desired, asspecified.

In testimony that I claim the above I have hereunto subscribed my namein the presence of two witnesses.

DAVID G. WILLIAMS.

Witnesses:

GEORGE E. UPHAM, GHA. B. STEELE.

